Children demand climate action as dialogue pushes for child-centred policies

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Children have called for urgent government action to confront the devastating impacts of climate change, which disproportionately affect them.

Their demands included climate-resilient schools, stronger food security programmes, gender-sensitive adaptation strategies, greater investment in clean water and sanitation systems, and inclusion in policy processes and national budgets.

The dialogue was designed to ensure that children's lived experiences inform both national and continental climate policy.

Rugambwa Justus, coordinator of the Joining Forces Coalition, a network of seven international child-focused organisations, noted that for the first time, Ugandan children will take their recommendations directly to the Africa Climate Summit, which is currently taking place in Addis Ababa.

Rugambwa noted that the children’s message is urgent: climate change is stripping them of food, education, and safety, and their voices must be heard.

“Adults can sit and write what they want, but this event gave children leadership. Their report doesn’t talk in abstractions; it speaks about hunger, missing school when floods come, or walking long distances for water. It is a very powerful message. We wanted to make sure that the voice of children reaches Addis Ababa,” Rugambwa highlighted.

Rugambwa stressed that creating spaces for children’s independent participation is essential:

“Climate change is about food on the plate, safety in schools, and water at home for them. Their message is simple but powerful, and leaders must listen.”

Lawmakers present admitted that children’s concerns highlight glaring policy and funding gaps. Brendah Nabukenya, a Member of Parliament who sits on the Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change, said Uganda’s climate financing remains inadequate despite the Climate Change Act passed in 2021.

“The budget is still limited when it comes to climate change. You find some of these environmental issues in the unfunded priorities. Yet as legislators, we are committed to making good changes so that we see part of the budget going to this area. Climate change is one of the biggest problems we face in the world, and every country must work towards bettering our climate,” she said.

Nabukenya revealed that Parliament is now considering a review of the Climate Change Act to explicitly recognise children’s rights and vulnerabilities.

“The law addresses general issues, but we want to mainstream the child in it. Children are more vulnerable because climate change takes away their right to food, education, nutrition, and sometimes even life. We want to ensure the law recognises children and young people in every aspect of mitigation and adaptation.”

Irene Kagoya, associate director of Advocacy at World Vision, pointed out that climate change deepens gender inequalities and echoed the urgency of child-centred action.

“When communities are affected, it is the girl child who suffers most. The government should sponsor programmes that promote sustainable use of the environment, such as climate-smart agriculture and eco-stoves, so children are not forced to carry the heaviest burden.”

This call came during the National Children’s Climate Dialogue, held on September 5, 2025, at the UNICEF headquarters in Mbuya. The event gathered more than 70 children from across the country, alongside policymakers, legislators, and civil society actors, under the theme “My Right, My Climate”.